Magazine fire abm



(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 1. 0. P. N. WEATHERBY.

I MAGAZINE FIREARM. No. 410,621. Patented Sept; 10, 1889.

22mm 1 loz gmzmi a (No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 3.

'- G. P. N. WEATHERBY.

MAGAZINE FIRE ARM.

No. 410.621. Patented Sept. 10, 1889.

waywm anvai t-foz (No Model.) 4 SheetsSheet 4.

' O. P. N. WEATHERBY.. MAGAZINE FIRE ARM.

No. 410,621. Patented Sept. 10, 1889.

q vibneowo 514 van-rot UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIQE.

CHARLES P. N. WEATHERBY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

MAGAZINE FIRE-ARM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 410,621, dated September 10, 1889. Application filed June 14, 1889. Serial No. 314,232. (No model.) Patented in Belgium June 27, 1888, No. 82,353.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, CHARLES P. N. WEATH- ERBY, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fire-Arms, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to breech-loading firearms; and it consists in constructing such an arm, as fully described hereinafter, so as to facilitate the storing and feeding and extraction of the cartridges and the conversion of the arm from a magazine to a single-loading arm, or vlce versa.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of part of a rifle sufficientto show my improvements. Fig. 2 is the same with the parts in different positions. Fig. 3 is the same, showing the cartridge-chamber covered that the arm may be single-loading. Fig. 41s a section on the line 1 2, Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a plan in part section. Fig. 6 is a perspective View of the case. Fig. 7 is an inverted plan view of the case.

The barrel A is open at the breech, and is closed by means of a sliding breech-block B, and the cartridge is exploded by a firing-pin (1., these parts being mounted upon the stock I and constructed and operated in any suitable or usual manner.

In arms of this class it has been common to arrange the cartridge-chamber, magazine, or casing directly below or at one side of the breech-opening 00, so that it is necessary in such arms, in order to secure sufficient storage-space, to. provide the arm with a case-like extension projecting below or laterally from the stock or frame, injuring the symmetry of the outline of the piece, and,what is more important, extending the exposed area of the piece and increasing the liability to-inj ury, inasmuch as slightblowsupon theexposed magazine will disable the arm and sometimes ex plode the cartridges in the magazine. I efiectually obviate all these objections and secure many advantages by extending the magazine or cartridge-chamber Y within and substantially in line with the line of the stock at a normal angle to theaxis of the barrel, and by constructing it in such manner and by so arranging the follower. or carrier that the car allel with the line of the barrel, but may ex: tend one beyond the other. I

As illustrated in the drawings, the chamber Y communicates at the upper end with the breech-opening a:, longer than the transverse height ofthe magazine, and extendsto the termination of the frame or to the neck of I the stock, having a continuous straight tridges will at all times be substantially par-' front face or edge 5 at an acute angle to the line of the barrel and parallel with the back face 6, and the scar and other operating parts between the breech-block and the trigger are extended at one or both sides of the chamber Y, so as not to obstruct or intersect the latter. The follower G occupies a position parallel to the line of the barrel, and is provided with a slide b, which moves in a guide (1, formed in or secured to the stock or to the frame and extending substantially parallel to the line. of the stock and of the chamber Y. The tangs f f of the frame are turned each to one side, that the securing-bolt G may pass through the stock at one side of thechamber of the'guide. A spring 6 of any suitable character is confined at the rear of the'carrier and tends to lift the latter and to cause it to move diagonally upward and for ward, carrying with it the cartridges, which lie substantially in a horizontal position Within the chamber, but one projecing be yond the other, as shown in Fig. 1. The rim of the upper cartridge is pressed by the action of the spring against the under side of thebreech-block until,when the latteris drawn back, its forward end passesjback of the butt of the cartridge, when the pressure of the spring, tending to push forward and unbuckle the next cartridge below, will act to lift the upper cartridge vertically without imparting any forward movement thereto until the butt is in front of" the end of the breech-block. When the breech-block is now pushed forward, the elevated cartridge will be. carried with it, the ball end of the cartridge sliding upon an inclined edge of the face y of the' stock or frame, and being raised and directed into an open bore, into which the cartridge is then forced by the further forward movement of the block. On the next rear ward motion the cartridge or shell that has IOO been introduced into the bore is extracted and thrown aside andthe next highest cartridge. passes into position to-be pushed. forward in the same manner as the first.

It will be evident that the chamber Y may be extended. to any desired distance into the stock to increase its capacity, and it will be seen that it iswhol'ly. inclosedin and protected by the stock and frame, that the area o of the arm is not increased nor its general outline altered by the presence'of such chain ber, that thecartridge-feeding appliances are reduced innumber to a carrier, guide, and spring, and that the cartridges pass by an easy movement Without shocks or jerks into the breech-opening. .In addition-to these advantages the-feeding of the cartridges is equally effected,

v whether they be all of the same length or of different lengths, and the .recoil of the gun causes no hammering of the primers, nor does it tend to drive the projectiles into the shells,

- inasmuch as the projectiles rest upon an inclined surface. instead of abutting against a 1 2 5 vertical wall, as usual.

zine is inserted and withdrawn through the v 5 breech-opening w.

The arm is of course provided with'a cutoff to prevent the cartridges from all being forced out of the chamber at once. Thiscutelf may be formed in anypsual manner; but,

40' as shown, it consists of -a lever K, pivoted in the side frame with the inner end 2 in position above the upper cartridge to prevent it rising, a spring 3 holding the lever in this position. As the breech-block moves forward, 5 it strikes the inner edge. of the lever and swings it outward, so as to releasethe cartridge, which then rises and is pushed forward bythe block, the latter moving over and holdingdown the next following cartridge,

" and when the breech-block is drawn back the end '2 of the lever swings into position to hold the cartridge below in its place.

. The end of the lever K is also of such form as to extend above the edge of. the case D and hold' the latter in place againstthe pressure of the spring .9, which, bears against the lower end of the magazine and tends to throw it outward. When the magazine is to be released, the end of the lever K extends through the side of the frame in position to be pressed inward by the thumb or finger of the operator.

' In order to obtain and secure a hold upon the shell for extracting the latter, any suitable extractor may be employed; but I prefer to make use of a dog F of an L shape, as best shown in Fig. 5, with one leg' extending into a lateral opening 2 in the end of the breechtially as set forth.

block and having a lug t', that bears upon the forward wall of the recess, while the other leg extends forward and has at the end a hook n, that catches upon the cartridge.-

A spring g bears against the inner endlof the dog and tends to throw the outer catch end inward. A

' The hook end of the dog is beveled, so that when the breech-block is pushed forward it will slide over and then engage the rim of the cartridge, and it will be seen that owing to the diagonal position of the bearing '1; and r hook at any resistance of the cartridge on the backward motion of the block will tend to throw the hook inward and to grip the cartridg'e more firmly.

When a firing-pin is used, the dog has a perforation o for the passage of the pin.

In order to facilitate the transformation of the piece from a magazine to a single breechloader, I provide the gun with acover or closing-piece L, which may be slid into position or otherwise adjusted to completely close the chamber Y. Thus the closing-piece is in the form of a slide moving in guides below the barrel, so as to be slid forward to expose the chamber Y, as shown in Fig. 1, or back to cover it, as shown in Fig. 3, and an arm 5 ex- 5- tends laterally upon the slide and is provided with a button 6 at the outer end, so that the slide can be moved back and forth by means of the button. WVhen the chamber Y is-closed' by the closing-piece, it is impossible for any powder-to find its way into said chamber, so that there can be no explosions from this cause. Sucha closing-piece may be used for arms of different constructions, and may be supported to slide or swing into position.

Without limiting myself to the precise constru'ction and arrangement of parts shown, I

claim v 1. The combination, in a fire-arm, of abarrel open at the breech, a movable breechblock, an inclined cartridge-chamber extending downward in the stock at an angle to the line of the barrel and with a straight inclined forward face 5, and a carrier parallel to the line of the barrel and movable in'said cham- 1 15 ber upon an inclined guideway, substantially as described.

2'. The combination ofthe barrel, stock having an inclinedv chamber, carrier in said hamber parallel with, the line of the-barrel, 12o

and inclined guideway for a slide connected q with the carrier, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination of the barrel open at the breech, and stock having an inclined chamber and an inclined face 'y, and a carrier in said chamber parallel to the line of the barrel, and inclined guideway therefor,substan- 4. The combination,wit h the longi tudi'nallymovable breech-block having a terminal slot :30 or recess, of an L-shaped dog, one arm extend ing into said recess and bearing with its inner end against the forward face of the recess in the block and the other arm extend- IO 6. The combination of the barrel, stock having an inclined chamber, horizontal carrier supported to move in an inclined direction in saidchamber, and case located in said chamber and having a lower and a side edge openr 5 ing for the'passage of the carrier, substantially as described.

7. The combination, with the barrel, stock, and chamber of a magazine-gun, of a closingpiece located below the barrel aid movable into position to close and open the .cartridge- 2,0

chamber and provided with aprojecting opcrating-arm, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

o; P; N. WEATHERBYQ Witnesses:

CHARLES E. FOSTER, W. CLARENCE DUVALL. 

